Adults, Juveniles Arrested

POLICE AND FIRE SCAN

MANCHESTER — Citizen complaints about suspected drug activity at a home here led to the arrests of 16 adults and five juveniles last month, according to the Carroll state's attorney's office.

Of the adults, only two were over age 21. All of the occupants were charged with alcohol violations and released. Additional charges are pending, police said.

David Paul McDonold, 18, and Shawn Philip Seymour, 21, both of the 3300 block of York St., Manchester, were charged with keeping a disorderly house. McDonold also was charged with possession of marijuanaand possession of drug paraphernalia, police said.

Both were released from the Carroll County Detention Center after posting bail.

Neighbors had complained to police that numerous juveniles and young adults were frequenting the home on a regular basis. Numerous incidents, including unruly parties, public drunkenness, urinating in public, reckless driving and fighting, had occurred at the home, police said.

During a three-month investigation, police said that a large volume of vehicular and pedestrian traffic occurred at the home on a daily basis. Numerous vehicles were observed arriving and departing after short periods. Other vehicles remained longer or for the entire night. Visitors were observed making frequent trips to their vehicles and entering the home carrying various sizes of containers, boxes and bags. The behavior is indicative of drug-related activity, police said.

During a search of the home, police said they seized larges quantities of alcoholic beverages, empty beer and liquor containers and fraudulent identification cards from Florida and California.

Approximately 10 police officers from the Carroll County Narcotics Task Force, Maryland State Police and Carroll County Sheriff Department executed the search and seizure warrant at the home on Dec. 28.

TRAFFIC DEATHS DOWN

DATELINE: WESTMINSTER

State Police at Westminster reported there were 20 traffic deaths, including two pedestrians, in Carroll in 1991, down from 24 in 1990.

The decrease, which mirrors a statewide trend, was attributed to increased use of safety belts, said 1st Sgt. Stephen Reynolds, public information officer for the Westminster barracks.

"It's helped to reduce the fatalities," he said.

The figure is the lowest in four years. In each of the past three years, 24 people have been killed in traffic accidents on county roads,police said.

The 1991 death toll involved 16 separate collisions.All but two of the victims were county residents. Reynolds said ninevictims were wearing seat belts and nine were not at the time of theaccidents. The nine wearing seat belts, he said, were involved in high-impact crashes.

The ages of the victims were older than usual, he said. Eight of the 20 victims, he said, were above age 62 -- five were above age 70. Typically, fatal accidents involve young people, he said, but noted there are more elderly drivers on the road now.

"Of course, when you're involved in a crash and you're older, you're more frail," Reynolds said. "Sometimes, age is big factor. There's aninability to withstand that kind of trauma. Young people might be able to survive."

Reynolds said alcohol was a factor in about one-third of the crashes, resulting in six deaths. Nationwide, alcohol is afactor in about half of traffic fatalities, he said.

Many of the accidents, he said, were the result of a momentary error by the driver, such as failing to grant the right of way or pulling out in front of other traffic.

He said there was no pattern in location. Only ahandful of the fatalities occurred on Route 140. They occurred between October and the end of the year.

PUPPY STOLEN

The Carroll County Humane Society is offering a $200 reward for information leading tothe arrest and conviction of a man who stole a 9-week-old puppy fromthe shelter Thursday.

Director Carolyn "Nicky" Ratliff said a man, described as about 30 years old with a medium build and brown hair,came into the shelter about 10:45 a.m. Thursday looking for a puppy for his children.

The office manager noticed the man left walking in a funny manner. By the time she decided to follow him, he was already in his car and driving away. He wore a waist jacket and left in ablack Monte Carlo with customized striping, Ratliff said.

The puppy was described as a mixed terrier with medium black hair. Its tail curled up over its back.

The man was described as about 5 feet 8 inches tall with a ruddy complexion.

Ratliff said the office was short-staffed because of the holiday. She said she didn't know whether the man would have qualified to adopt the pet.

Ratliff said the only thing prohibiting an adoption is if a person has a history of animal control violations or did not have permission from a landlord if he was renter.

"It's a little bit unusual for the people of Carrollto be so deceptive or dishonest," she said. "We don't expect that kind of thing here. It catches you off-guard here when it does happen."